70x2020 Initiative

The 70x2020 Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative is a statewide grassroots effort to ensure at least 70 percent of Mississippians are up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening by the year 2020.

A growing partnership of more than 570 organizations and individuals support the Initiative. The three major sectors of this partnership are:

• The general public and non-governmental organizations that promote the general welfare of the public;
• Health care providers and organizations affiliated with health professionals and the health care industry.
• Governmental agencies that establish and enforce health-care policy.

Colorectal cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death in Mississippi, also is one of the most preventable cancers. While 90 percent of individuals who are diagnosed with early-stage colorectal cancer will survive, those diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer are more likely to die.

Colorectal cancer screening is an evidence-based strategy to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer and find this cancer earlier when more lives can be saved.